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The Country Gentleman's Magazine 



rainute ! Notwithstanding their almost terrible 

 effectiveness, these discs have in themselves 

 marvellous powers of wear, working con- 

 tinuously at saw-mills for months, day after 

 day, without giving out. 



The few objects we have enumerated do 

 not give an adequate idea of the capabilities 

 of the process, or the uses to which the 

 products may be applied. In store, besides 

 these, are members of cornices, fountain 

 basins and pillars, vases, cantilevers and 

 trusses, mantlepieces, balusters that are ad- 

 mirable imitations of porphyry, granite, 

 marble of various kinds and colours, all 

 taking a polish as glossy and smooth as plate- 

 glass. Among the most interesting objects 

 in the collection was a number of admirable 

 busts, " repeats," in Ransome stone, of the 

 late Mr James Ransome, father of Mr 

 Frederick, and one of the spirited founders 

 of the Orwell Works firm. 



The filtel-s, manufactured from a particular 

 porous mixture, are an ingenious, simple, and 

 effective contrivance. They are of various 

 sizes, and are simply stone cylinders, stone 

 round, and closed with the same material at 

 the ends. They are placed simply at the 

 bottom of the cistern or vessel, the contents 

 of which they are required to filter. A pipe 

 passes frr im the inside of the filter, at its top, 

 to above the surface of the water in the 

 cistern. By this the air, displaced as the 

 Avater percolates into the filter, is allowed to 

 escape. Another pipe, from the bottom of 

 the filter, and passing to the outside of the 

 cistern, afibrds means for drawing oft"" the 

 filtered water as required. They are equal 

 to loo gallons per day for every square foot 

 of filter surface. 



One of the most recent applications of the 

 Ransome process is to the manufacture of 

 caissons for river and sea walls, coffer dams, 



and other hydraulic works. For these pur- 

 poses a different combination of material is 

 employed. 



The power of resistance to crushing weight 

 of this stone is 7.145 lb. per square inch; 

 Bramley Fall, 5.120; Portland, 2.630; 

 granite, from 8.000 to 12.000. 



The applicability of the stone caissons to 

 hydraulic works has already been tested suc- 

 cessfully at the Hermitage Wharf, where stone 

 caissons, made at the works, have been sunk 

 down to the London clay — a depth of 14. 

 feet below low-water mark. The work was 

 sunk in sections of about 3 feet 7 inches 

 deep, which had tongued joints. It is 9 feet 

 diameter, and the wall 9 inches thick. Its 

 cost is computed by disinterested parties at 

 less than half that of cast iron. By the adop- 

 tion of Ransome's caissons for works founded 

 under water it is evident that a great saving 

 will be eft'ected ; as all preliminary and 

 temporary works will be dispensed with. 



A number of the past Presidents and Vice- 

 Presidents of the Society of Engineers were 

 present in this visit of inspection, and at its 

 termination, Mr J. H. Adams, Vice-President, 

 in the name of the Society, expressed to Mr 

 Ransome the deep interest that had been 

 awakened by all that they had heard and 

 seen. 



Mr Ransome replied that nothing gave 

 him greater pleasure than to facilitate the in- 

 vestigations of practical and scientific men, 

 from whom they had no secrets to conceal^ 

 but to whom they were ever ready to com- 

 municate the fullest particulars, partly wdth 

 the interested view, it might be, of prevent- 

 ing all after questions as to priority of in- 

 vention. 



The party was under the guidance of Mr 

 Perry F. Nursey, the Secretary of the Society 

 of Engineers. 



